Trainer Profile: Mohamed Nasri

This is the second in a series of profiles intended to showcase the trainers who work with Small World News and StoryMaker. We are very proud of our network of local trainers and want to share their stories with the global community of mobile media activists and educators.

Name: Mohamed Nasri

Country: Tunisia

Professional Experience:Mohamed Nasri is based in Kasserine, Tunisia. He graduated with a degree in Business English. Most of his professional work has been related to computers and new technologies. He operated an Internet cafe and has worked repairing computer hardware and software. At the outset of the Tunisian Revolution, Mohamed worked as a local fixer and contact in Kasserine for French and German news agencies covering the revolution and the aftermath.

How did you get into media training?

Media training is a dream for me. In May 2013 i got the chance to participate in a Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop in Morocco, organised by Free Press Unlimited. I was invited by Small World News co-founder Brian Conley to work as a fixer and then as a workshop participant and translator. Since then, the doors have been opened and a new world has been set for me. I have worked with Small World News on two more projects in Tunisia and as a regional coordinator on other efforts in North Africa.

Why do you think media training is important for your country, regionally, globally?

Training for me is a new world because I know how important media training is to my country. We were –– and still are –– living in a post-revolution period of development. Freedom of expression is a master key for success,. The media is an important tool for giving people a voice, but within marginalised regions people are still unable to voice their needs and their opinion. They have no opportunity to tell their stories to the national or international media. That is why Media training in these regions is key. We need to teach people in these regions to tell their own stories. Media Training reduces the gap between regions and allows media to be produced by the people for the people.

What was an experience that illustrates why training is important to you?

As a trainer I will never forget the media scene in Sebha, Southern Libya in 2013. In September of that year Small World News did a training there. The region was in a state of chaos –– like so many other provincial regions in North Africa. Training in situations like this are important because they encourages people to tell important stories and asking questions of government for themselves. I would like to see citizens everywhere more involved in building real democracy, and this is done only by training and convincing people that the future of their country is in their own hands.

Tell us one thing you would like to share with people who might be interested in media development but have no experience.

For those who might be interested in media development but have no experience, I want to tell them STOP saying “I wish” and start saying “I will.” Always do your best even if you have no experiences, Whatever you plant today, you will harvest tomorrow.

Tell us about the media scene in Tunisia

In post-revolution Tunisia a lot has changed. We now enjoy a great deal of freedom –– freedom of belief, freedom of expression. Tunisian media is now providing a more diverse coverage. Numerous media outlets have sprung up since the old regime was ousted. Tunisians now have access to a wide range of print, broadcast and online sources. We are now talking about alternative and participative media, which is something new for a country who still living in Transitional period.

This new, more engaged approach will encourage every citizen to be part of building democracy for the whole country.